Saint-Seducing Gold, or, The Tragedy of Draco and Ginny
by Melantha Delmar
Summary: "Don't tell me you fancy that low-life Slytherin scum…" Slytherins and Gryffindors. Malfoys and Weasleys. Can a pair of star-crossed lovers survive the halls of Hogwarts?
1. Prologue: An Ancient Quarrel

**A/N: **I began this fic long ago when I was young and naïve. Now that I'm older (and probably more naïve) I'm here to finish it. For those who don't know – which is most of you at this point, I'd expect – this story is a take on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I won't follow the plot exactly (the falling in love part will hopefully be much more believable, for example), but be prepared for a few major character deaths down the road. In the meantime, know that this takes place while the Trio is still at school. I'm ignoring everything that happens in the actual books involving Voldemort after Prisoner of Azkaban, so keep in mind that life has been pretty normal for everyone up until this, their seventh and final year at Hogwarts…

**Saint-Seducing Gold**

**or**

**The Tragedy of Draco and Ginny**

_DRAMATIS PERSONAE_

Albus Dumbledore, _Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Slytherin } _Hogwarts House founded by Salazar Slytherin_

Gryffindor } _Hogwarts House founded by Godric Gryffindor_

Lucius Malfoy, _former Slytherin with a longstanding enmity with Arthur Weasley_

Arthur Weasley, _former Gryffindor with a longstanding enmity with Lucius Malfoy_

Draco, _a seventh year Slytherin, and son of Lucius Malfoy_

Blaise Zabini, _a seventh year Slytherin, and friend to Draco_

Pansy Parkinson, _a seventh year Slytherin, and friend to Draco_

Vincent Crabbe, _a seventh year Slytherin, and crony of Draco_

Gregory Goyle, _a seventh year Slytherin, and crony of Draco_

Severus Snape, _Potions professor, and Head of Slytherin House_

Ginny, _a sixth year Gryffindor, and daughter of Arthur Weasley_

Luna Lovegood_, a sixth year Ravenclaw, and friend to Ginny_

Ron Weasley, _a seventh year Gryffindor, and brother of Ginny_

Hermione Granger, _a seventh year Gryffindor, and friend to Ginny_

Harry Potter, _a seventh year Gryffindor at Hogwarts, the Boy Who Lived_

Narcissa Malfoy, _wife of Lucius Malfoy, and mother to Draco_

Molly Weasley, _wife of Arthur Weasley, and mother to Ginny_

SCENE – _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; Scotland_

**PROLOGUE**

**We Lay Our Scene**

"**Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach?"**

"_The simmering feud between Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley has reached its boiling point. After arguing about an as yet unknown subject, the two wizards came to blows in the office of the Minister of Magic yesterday. No one from the Ministry has offered an official account of what happened, but those who were present told this reporter that both wizards had to be restrained from carrying out further damage with their wands._

"_This fight happens on the eve of Hogwarts' students return for the new school year. As many of our readers know, tensions between Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses reached an all-time high last year when over a dozen students were involved in a violent brawl that sent over half of them to the infirmary. Several of those students were withdrawn by their parents, and Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, has still refused to grant this paper an interview on the topic._

"_One can only imagine what the new school year might bring these students when their parents are holding brawls in the Ministry itself…"_

"Did you _see_ Draco Malfoy?"

A low whistle pierced through the fog of Luna's reading. She lowered her copy of _The Daily Prophet_ to watch Padma Patil arch her eyebrows at Lisa Turpin across the table.

"Don't tell me you fancy that low-life Slytherin scum," Padma replied with a combination of shock and derision that Luna found interesting. She hadn't realized the mention of Draco Malfoy was worthy of such emotion.

Lisa shrugged and turned a dreamy gaze up to the star-strewn ceiling of the Great Hall.

"I'm just saying – that boy looks good. Like he went to Saint-Tropez for the summer holiday or something."

Luna turned to look at the Slytherin table, but Draco was nowhere to be seen. She turned her attention back to Lisa, now smiling sweetly at Padma.

"Besides, I don't have a sister in Gryffindor. What do I care if he's a Slytherin?"

Luna fluttered her paper. "Draco's father starts fist fights in the Ministry," she announced.

The other two girls gave her sharp looks. They must have forgotten she was sitting there. Luna didn't mind that so much – most people forgot about her – but had they even listened? She showed them the article she was reading.

Lisa and Padma glanced at each other and then looked at the photograph Luna had her finger on. The three of them watched Lucius Malfoy lunge at Arthur Weasley. Mr. Malfoy's long blonde hair whipped through the hair and Mr. Weasley's eyes widened and then narrowed.

Padma barked an ugly laugh.

"See, Lisa? Even Loony thinks the Malfoys are a menace."

Lisa rolled her eyes.

"You take petty rivalries too seriously," she told Padma. "You're practically a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake."

The two of them peered at the Slytherin table together, already dismissing Luna. Luna looked about for wrackspurts or maybe a blibbering humdinger. Maybe Padma had been cursed by some passing pernicious pixie…?

"And now that we are all full and happy, I have a few important announcements."

Luna looked at Professor Dumbledore along with everyone else in the Great Hall. He launched into his typical start of the year speech. As she was now in her sixth year, Luna had heard it all before. She let her thoughts drift as she stared up at the Headmaster. She hoped this year would be better than last year; she was very tired of people stealing her things and calling her Loony. She recalled Padma's comment from a minute ago and sighed.

"…out of the Forbidden Forest. It carries that name for very good reasons."

Luna started listening again as she noticed Professor Hagrid touch a large purple bruise on his forehead with a rueful smile.

When she glanced back at Professor Dumbledore, she was surprised to find a strange, sad look on his face. It reminded her a bit of the way Daddy had looked after her mother died.

"Now…" Dumbledore's voice took on a gravity that stilled the Great Hall to silence. "My last word is about something I wish I did not have to address."

His blue eyes pierced through each of the students sitting before him. Everyone was so still that Luna wondered if maybe he had been taking lessons from a basilisk.

"For all of our returning students, I must remind you that the incidents of last year have not been forgotten. Violence of any kind will not be tolerated at this school. Heads of Houses will report any such incidents directly to me to be dealt with."

The sad look took on an edge of anger – something Luna was not sure she had ever seen on the Headmaster's face before.

"The fact that I have already had to deal with several students tonight is worrisome. Be warned now: I am no longer inclined to be lenient on this matter."

The silence in the hall broke into startled whispers. Luna suddenly noticed gaps in the students sitting at the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables. Who was missing…? She didn't see Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, or Harry Potter. And over at the Slytherin table Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, and… Draco Malfoy.

She thought she understand the look on Dumbledore's face now.

As her eyes roved back over to the Gryffindor table, she met the gaze of her friend, Ginny Weasley. She quite liked Ginny. The other girl often stuck up for her when the even the Ravenclaws teased her. Ginny gave Luna a little wave and turned back to listen to Dumbledore, but not before Luna saw the worry the other girl was trying so hard to mask.

Ginny, worried? Luna's world shifted. A shiver danced down her spine as she remembered the words from _The Daily Prophet_.

Just what would the new school year bring...?


	2. Act I, Scene 1: The Contrary Storm

**ACT 1**

**We Burn Daylight**

**Scene 1**

"**What storm is this that blows so contrary?"**

Scion of one of the wizarding world's most powerful pureblood families, self-proclaimed leader of the only House in Hogwarts that mattered, Head Boy, and Quidditch team captain, Draco Malfoy did not want to be noticed.

Was it really too much to ask to just be ignored for ten minutes?

It had taken all morning, but he finally had managed to ditch most of his usual entourage. He'd slipped away from Vincent and Gregory in the Great Hall while they were still piling the sausages on their breakfast plates. Pansy had been easy to leave behind once she'd started flirting with Theo. And Blaise… Draco glanced down the crowded hall. He thought he'd lost Blaise around that last corner. But just to be sure, he pulled the hood of his cloak up over his infamous platinum blonde hair before he ducked into the Hogwarts Library.

Surveying the stacks, Draco found the usual crowds of students huddled over open textbooks and parchments shining with fresh ink. But he also found Gryffindors and Slytherins glaring daggers at each other. The tension in the air was so palpable that something in his stomach twinged.

"There you are."

Bloody hell.

A slim, dark hand came to rest on Draco's shoulder. He glanced back to find Blaise Zabini, taller and more imperiously good-looking than he had been in their sixth year, standing just behind him.

"Parkinson's looking for you," Blaise rumbled.

"Not now," Draco snapped back. He pushed Blaise's hand away.

A sharp _shh!_ made them both look over at Madam Pince. She waggled a finger from behind her desk. Not hesitating, Draco flashed her a disarming smile.

"So sorry," he murmured, and was only slightly surprised when the librarian looked like she'd been hit by a solid _Stupefy_ spell in response. He pulled his cloak forward to hide his rolling eyes and he and Blaise strolled into the stacks.

"Well done," Blaise whispered. Did he actually sound impressed? Draco fought the urge to roll his eyes again. Blaise wasn't the only Slytherin who could use his looks to his advantage.

"Why are you in here anyway?" the other boy asked as they traversed the aisles, scattering third years in their wake. "It's not like you're doing your homework."

"That's done already. I'm looking for someone," Draco mumbled back.

It wasn't Harry Potter and his gang of fawning friends that Draco wanted to see, and he took care to refrain from nearing the corner of the library that Granger usually inhabited. But he was in fact looking for a Gryffindor. It was a stupid, dangerous secret, and he wished Blaise would go away so that he could enjoy it as such. Because this girl, who _happened_ to be in Gryffindor, was beautiful. She was more than beautiful; she was perfect. And he just wanted a glimpse of her…

He'd noticed her on the train platform several days ago. Something about her flawless skin, sun-kissed and glowing, stopped him in his tracks. He had used his Head Boy status to duck into her compartment on the train – just to see if he was as crazy as he thought. He was. Her dark eyes held him captivated even as they sparkled with malice for him. How was it that over the summer holiday this girl had become a goddess? He spent the Sorting Ceremony grinning at visions of how her dark hair would look spread in waves across his pillow. During his first Potions class, he had been so preoccupied with how her lips would part when he was near, begging to be kissed, that Professor Snape had nearly deducted points from his own House.

Yes. Draco had a major crush on Parvati Patil and it was ruining his life.

He knew that he couldn't do anything serious about it – and it wasn't like he wanted to turn her into his girlfriend or anything. He had good enough sense to know that not even he could get away with dating a Gryffindor. But his desires didn't seem to care much for his good senses.

Maybe, he mused to himself as he wandered through the bookshelves with Blaise trailing him, no one would care if he simply snogged her and didn't make a big deal about it. It had worked a year ago with his Ravenclaw girlfriend. If no one cared enough to complain about Mandy, perhaps he could get away with Parvati as well. After all, he didn't think it would be that difficult to convince the Gryffindor herself to experience the pleasures that Draco Malfoy could offer her despite the way she'd looked at him on the train. How difficult could it be to convince everyone else it meant nothing more than his own gratification? House rivalries be damned.

Something his father said echoed in his mind, but he buried it quickly before it could interfere.

There!

He stopped at the end of the stack. Blaise loomed behind him as he peered through the books at Parvati's back. She was sitting with friends, all of them giggling and gossiping together. Her long, black hair was unbound today; it rippled down her back in waves like liquid night. Draco felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Draco," Blaise said in his ear. "What are you doing?"

"Just… observing," Draco whispered. He looked back to find Blaise's face stony. He shrugged as casually as he knew how. "I mean, I'm just looking."

Blaise stared him down. And he was excellent at it.

"Fine," Draco sighed, and he both hated and did not care that he sounded like a petulant child when he admitted, "It's that Patil girl. I _want_ her."

"Bleeding hell," Blaise hissed. "You have a new girl every month, and you want _that? _ What's wrong with you? You like teetering at the top of that pole you've built, don't you?"

Draco grimaced.

Blaise shook his head. "Is this what you've been obsessing about since we got to school? Pansy told me it had to be a girl, but I didn't believe her." He spoke almost as if to himself. "Why is she always right…?"

"She knows me too well," Draco muttered. He didn't like to admit it, but it was perfectly true. Pansy was probably the only one who knew what an idiot he really was, and he would've liked to keep it that way. It was bad enough for one person to know.

"Well, there's no reason to jump that particular fence." Blaise prodded Draco in the shoulder. "If you don't like what's left in Slytherin, at least let me introduce you to one of my step-cousins. She goes to Beauxbatons, but that's better than…" He trailed off, and Draco did not like what he heard in the silence. Maybe Blaise was right after all.

But.

A Malfoy should always get what he wants.

And he _wanted_ that girl.

Blaise groaned at the look on Draco's face as he turned his back on his friend and went to make his move.

"Malfoy, wait!"

Blaise grabbed the back of Draco's cloak and pulled him up short. Fury surged through Draco before he realized why Blaise had stopped him.

Ron Weasley slouched up to the girls sitting at Parvati's table. He leaned down between Parvati and her blonde friend (whose name Draco could never remember despite having classes with her for the past six years) to show them something. Draco craned his neck to see what it was, but the only thing that wasn't blocked by the Weasel was an edge of parchment. The Gryffindors seemed excited, but from the look on Blaise's face he understood no more of it than Draco did.

Finally, the Weasel straightened. He shot a furtive look around, and Draco and Blaise dropped down behind the shelves. They waited for his footsteps to move away before they stood again.

The table was empty. Draco cursed. Blaise rolled his eyes.

"Come on," Blaise said. "Let's go find Parkinson."

Reluctantly, Draco followed him. As they neared the door, Draco spotted Parvati's nameless friend again. She was showing the parchment to another girl, and just like that Draco made a decision.

Blaise didn't even notice he wasn't following anymore which suited him just fine. This was a job better left to a professional.

He waited for the blonde girl to leave. As soon as she was gone, he jumped into the chair next to her friend and snatched the parchment from her hands. His eyes pored quickly over the words. The Gryffindors were having a party and someone had managed to get their hands on several casks of Firewhiskey. It was going to be on Friday and the password was…

"_Accio parchment_."

The parchment flew from his hands into hers. The girl cleared her throat.

"Do you always grab things from perfect strangers?" she quipped.

For a moment, Draco could do nothing but stare. Thoughts of Parvati evaporated, replaced by the vision before him. He had an impression of silken red hair, fair skin, slender form, flashing brown eyes…

And then he recognized her.

"Weasley?" he choked. What the hell had he just been thinking?

Ginny Weasley arched an eyebrow at him, and replied with a cool, "Malfoy."

Draco shook his head as though he could forcibly erase the thoughts where he'd found her attractive.

"Get stuffed," he blurted. It was crude, but she'd startled him and he couldn't do much better. He got up quickly.

Weasley shook her head and turned back to whatever she was writing. She had dismissed him far more thoroughly than he was used to. Steaming, he decided he was not going to leave in a huff like a child.

He leaned over her and grabbed the mysterious parchment away again. Her coolness vanished and she leapt to her feet, her wand leveled at his face.

"Give it back," she demanded. Her eyes blazed with dark fire; he felt an unwilling thrill at their brilliance.

"Not a chance," he shot back. He shoved the parchment in his pocket and reached for his own wand.

He ducked as she aimed a hex at him, and then took a step toward her. Startled by his audacity, Weasley stumbled backward, hit her chair, and fell to the floor in a sprawl of limbs. Her wand clattered to the floor out of her reach. Draco bent to pick it up before she could even pinpoint where it had gone. Cursing a blue streak and struggling to straighten her skirt from where it had hiked up around her thighs, Weasley glared at him.

"Nice show, Weasley," Draco laughed. He couldn't stop himself from ogling her exposed legs, long and lean and perfect, but he managed to keep it from distracting him. He threw her a smirk and twirled her wand between his fingers.

"Give it back," she hissed through clenched teeth. She held her hand out and to her credit it was steady as a rock. He wasn't sure what he thought about the fact that he obviously didn't frighten her.

He twirled the wand again and then slipped it in his pocket alongside the crumpled party invitation.

"Now, now," he taunted. "What do we say first?"

"It's mine!" she said as she scrambled to her feet.

Draco took a few steps back.

"Pretty sure I just won it fairly," he said. "You could use some manners, Weaslette. Or maybe a lesson on dueling." He patted his pocket and turned to go.

"Manners?" she echoed behind him. "I'll show you some manners, Malfoy!"

Before Draco could prepare himself, she'd launched herself at his back and knocked him to the ground.

So much for not acting like a child.

They wrestled together on the floor. Weasley reached desperately for her wand and Draco tried his best not to show just how difficult it was for him to fend her off. He wasn't much for hand-to-hand combat, and too late he remembered that she'd grown up in a house full of older brothers who no doubt brawled like the peasants they were. She'd managed to land quite a few sharp kicks to his shins and punches to his stomach when they fetched up against a bookshelf and he managed to pin her arms behind her back.

"Blood hell, Weasley, what's wrong with you?" he panted. He jerked his legs aside as she tried to kick him again.

"Give. Me. My. Wand."

She seemed eerily calm for someone in her position.

"Why should I?" he snapped. "You're clearly crazy!"

"If you don't return that girl's wand, you'll be going straight to the Headmaster's office, Head Boy or not."

They looked up to find Madam Pince looming over them. The librarian stood with her own wand extended toward them. She twitched it, and Draco narrowed his eyes. He _had _won Weasley's wand fairly.

He really didn't need to spend an hour sitting in Dumbledore's office though.

He released Weasley and got to his feet. He smoothed his hair back while she picked herself up and dusted her skirt. After a moment of this, she extended her hand again.

"It was only a joke," he told Madam Pince as he returned Weasley's wand. "She must have misunderstood."

"I'm sure," Weasley muttered, as she took the wand back. "I'm sorry about him," she told Madam Pince, and then she shouldered past both of them and returned to her table.

Draco ignored the librarian's glower as he watched Weasley gather her things and stalk out of the library. Who would have guessed the Weasel's sister for such a hellion? He'd barely ever noticed her before, but now…

Not that he cared. No, he didn't care. In fact, he cared about all Weasleys the way he cared about bowtruckles – not at all.

He shrugged his robes straight, and fixed his crooked Head Boy's pin. Madam Pince opened her mouth to say something to him, but he flashed her another smile and she shut it again.

Patting the paper in his pocket, he set off to find his housemates.


	3. Act I, Scene 2: Forget to Think

**Scene 2**

"**O, teach me how I should forget to think."**

At first the dream seemed normal. Ginny moved through the patterns of a typical day; she went to her classes, she did her homework, she ate dinner with her friends... And then, as she laughed at a joke her brother made, she looked up and saw Draco Malfoy.

Usually, just the sight of Malfoy made her blood boil. It wasn't just the feud between their families that made her hate him, it was his own self-serving, pompous attitude that incited her to violent thoughts. He acted like life was a game to win, and Merlin help the witch or wizard who tried to take away his golden ticket. She assumed the insufferable brat had used his father's reputation and influence in order to become Head Boy in the same way he'd become a Prefect and the Slytherin Quidditch team captain.

But in this dream, her righteous anger was nowhere to be found.

Their eyes met across the expanse of the Great Hall, and Ginny felt her laughter die in her throat. She had never noticed Draco's eyes before; they were as grey as smoke and shining with an odd fever. How had she never noticed that before?

She stood up in a daze. No one noticed when she left her table to walk toward him as though drawn by a string – or a spell.

Draco stood up too. As they walked toward each other, the rest of the Great Hall faded into darkness. They stopped just short of actual contact.

"Malfoy," she said in a breathy voice she did not recognize as her own. There was no malice, no hatred, and not even a trace of resentment. She knew it was strange, but there was something inside of her that wondered what it would be like to touch him.

"Ginny," he replied. He sounded… gentle. Reverent even. Her head whirled. This simply couldn't be Draco Malfoy.

He raised a hand toward her in question. Before she could stop herself, she nodded. He touched her cheek with his fingertips so softly that she almost couldn't feel it. After a moment, his fingers became his palm, and then he caressed her face in a way she imagined only a lover would. She could not stop herself from leaning into his touch, closing her eyes so that she could concentrate on the warmth of his hand. His thumb moved in a small circle against her skin. His fingers drifted into her hair.

"Ginny…" he repeated. Her name was a sigh on his lips and a shiver down her spine. She wanted nothing more than to hear him repeat it forever.

"Ginny!"

She woke with a start.

"What?" she croaked. She tried in vain to sit up, but her blankets were twisted around her. She shoved them angrily away, blinking the sleep from her eyes.

"What?" a voice echoed. It was Hermione, her hands on her hips, and a worried look on her face. "Have you been asleep this whole time? It's almost noon! You missed your first class."

"What!" Ginny shot out of bed and threw open her wardrobe.

Hermione was still talking. "Colin sent me up here to find out what's wrong with you. Are you all right then?"

"Fine," Ginny said with a wave as she tugged her socks on. "I'm fine. I don't know why my roommates didn't wake me up."

Hermione shrugged and handed Ginny her hairbrush. "You might as well stop rushing, you know. It's lunch time right now."

Ginny groaned. She ripped the brush through her hair and winced as it caught in half a dozen snarls. "My mother is going to kill me if she finds out about this," she muttered.

Hermione nodded sympathetically.

Ginny gave her hair up as a bad job and threw it back in a ponytail. She crammed her books into her bag, then paused and grabbed a blank journal she'd shoved into her trunk while packing over the summer. It had been awhile since she'd felt okay writing her thoughts out on paper, but this was the third time in as many days that she'd had _that_ dream…

"Hey, Hermione, can I ask you a question?" she said as they left the tower together.

Hermione nodded, her nose already in a book Ginny hadn't even noticed her carrying. "Of course," she replied without looking up. "Anything."

"Well…" Ginny wondered how best to ask the question. "Have you ever had a really weird dream?"

"Huh?"

"You know… Have you ever had a really weird dream about…" Ginny lowered her voice to a near whisper. "A boy?"

Hermione stopped short and Ginny almost crashed into her.

"Was it about Harry?" Hermione asked. Ginny's heart fell at the look on her friend's face.

"Um…" she started.

"Come here," Hermione said. She grabbed Ginny's arm and pulled her into an empty classroom. She shut the door carefully behind them. "Don't tell anyone I told you, but… I think Harry is interested in you."

"Oh." Immediately, her dream was forgotten. But she didn't know what to say. The thought of Harry liking her as more than a friend shocked her. After all these years, he'd finally noticed her? "Really?" she said, mostly because she didn't know what else to say.

Hermione frowned. "I thought you'd be more excited," she said.

Ginny tried to sort through her shock. "I'm not sure how I feel about it," she explained. "It's been so long since I figured out he _wasn't_ interested in me that I guess I just…"

"You've given up on him." Hermione nodded. "That's good actually. I told you that once you weren't desperate he would be able to see you for yourself."

"You did," Ginny murmured. Inside she was wondering if she even liked Harry in that way anymore. It had been several years since the furor of her crush on the Boy Who Lived died into a mere simmer.

"Don't worry about it then," Hermione advised. "Whatever will be, will be. I just thought you'd want to know. Let's go get some food now; I'm starving."

Ginny followed the older girl into the Great Hall, lost in her thoughts about Harry. Would she feel different when she saw him again? A flicker of excitement ran through her. Maybe Hermione was right. Maybe this was meant to be, and now that she had relaxed around Harry, everything would be as she had wished it could be for so long. To be with Harry, to run her fingers through his unruly hair, to kiss him…

A sudden pain struck her shoulder and her daydreams shattered.

"Watch it, Weasel," a snide voice mocked.

Ginny found herself staring up into Draco Malfoy's face. She was startled to discover that his eyes were precisely the shade she had seen in her dream. Her dream… The memory of it froze her in place, and she stood there in petrified silence as she remembered him whispering her name and caressing her hair.

Something about the look on her face seemed to hold him frozen too. He stared down at her for a timeless moment, his lips half-parted as though he were about to speak.

"Oh! You found the wrackspurt."

Ginny blinked as Luna Lovegood's dreamy voice broke the spell between them. Suddenly, Malfoy was smoothing his hair and grinning sardonically.

"Can't stay away from me, can you, Weaslette?" he leered.

Ginny's fingers itched to hex him.

"In your dreams, Malfoy," she spat. She grabbed Luna's arm to stop herself from reaching for her wand. "Come on," she said, dragging her friend away from the still leering Slytherin.

"He's quite handsome, isn't he?" Luna mused as she allowed Ginny to steer her toward the Gryffindor table.

"I hadn't noticed," Ginny said. She plopped down and started filling her plate, but she was barely paying attention to the food she took. Instead, she watched as Malfoy sauntered off to the Slytherin table and seated himself amongst his admiring cronies, people Ginny knew and loathed almost as much as Malfoy himself: Zabini, Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle. One of them must have asked him what happened because Malfoy gestured toward her with a smirking comment and his table dissolved into laughter.

"That slimy git," she muttered. "I'll kill him, I swear to Merlin I will."

"Are you going to eat all of that?" Luna asked, and Ginny glanced down at her plate in surprise to find it piled with pickled herring and chipped beef on toast.

"Ugh," she groaned. She pushed the plate away from her.

"What's the matter?" Luna propped her chin in her hand and gazed seriously at Ginny. "Something happened to you."

Ginny, all too used to Luna's uncanny observations, did not question why she knew this. She dropped her voice just in case one of her housemates decided to eavesdrop. "I ran into Malfoy in the library earlier this week, and now I can't stop thinking about him."

"Thinking?" Luna echoed. Her large blue eyes prompted Ginny to tell the truth.

She sighed. "Okay. I can't stop _dreaming_ about him. It's ruining my sleep! This morning, I didn't even hear my alarm go off. And now whenever I see him, all I can think about is this stupid dream. I can't even make a proper comeback when he insults me. And Merlin knows he does that enough."

Luna nodded. "What kind of dream is it?" she asked. When Ginny couldn't stop herself from blushing furiously, Luna nodded again. "Ah," she said "Have you tried ignoring him?"

"How can I? He's everywhere. I think Ron's going to have an aneurysm with the number of times we've caught that git outside Gryffindor Tower. I don't know how he managed to get Dumbledore to name him Head Boy, but he's been abusing the privilege at every opportunity."

Luna nibbled on one of the pickled herring and stared across the room at the Slytherins. "Well, he is rather good-looking. Maybe it doesn't mean anything."

"Of course it doesn't _mean_ anything," Ginny replied, horrified at the thought. "I just want to get him out of my head! Do you think there's a spell I could use to banish him from my thoughts?"

"Banish who?" Hermione slid down the benches to join them.

"Oh, um, Michael Corner," Ginny replied, flustered. It was all right for Luna to know the truth, but for a fellow Gryffindor to know?

"That Ravenclaw prat?" Hermione made a face. She glanced at Luna. "No offense."

"None taken," Luna said with a smile. "We all think he should've been Sorted into Gryffindor."

Ginny smothered a laugh as Hermione's eyebrows shot up. Her ex-boyfriend was a much safer topic of conversation than Draco Malfoy, so she happily helped her friends abuse him until most of her anger about Malfoy had dissipated. But by then she had remembered something else.

"Hermione, we might have some trouble on Friday night."

"You're talking about our…"

"I already invited Luna, don't worry," Ginny said and Hermione visibly relaxed. Ginny was honestly surprised the Head Girl was allowing them all to get away with this party in the first place, let alone allowing Ron and Harry to be the ones to organize it. "Yeah. Maybe you could tell Ron – one of his invitations might be in the hands of the Slytherins."

Hermione paled, and Ginny leaped to explain.

"Parvati gave me one, but it must have slipped out of my things while I was in the library." She cast her eyes quickly at Malfoy, but he was already done eating and leaving with his entourage in tow. "I went back and looked, but I couldn't find it."

"What makes you think the Slytherins got it?" Hermione said. And then, her voice rising, "Oh no, what if one of the professors saw it? I have to go!" She got up so fast that she knocked over a cup and a flood of pumpkin juice went spilling across the table. Ginny shifted her books just before they were soaked.

"Hermione, wait!"

"You'll never catch her," Luna said, dabbing at the mess with her napkin.

Ginny heaved a sigh and pulled out her wand. "_Evanesco_," she murmured, and the juice vanished.

"Thanks," Luna said with a lopsided grin. "I'm much better at Charms, you know."

Ginny smiled back at her, but her thoughts were racing. Should she have told Hermione about her confrontation with Malfoy in the library? She wasn't sure that he had the party invitation, but it was a pretty good bet. Ron was going to kill her…


	4. Act I, Scene 3: Black Humour

**Scene 3**

"**Black and portentous must this humour prove, unless good counsel may the cause remove."**

By the end of the week, Madam Pince had overcome her smile-induced trances. Draco continued to spend his mornings lingering among the stacks and looking for Parvati, but when the librarian discovered he wasn't going to sit down and read something he found himself standing in the hallway with Professor Snape's latest book request in his hands. After all, he was Head Boy, wasn't he? He didn't seem to have anything better to do with his time, did he? He and Snape were very good friends, weren't they?

Draco scoffed at the irritable woman's words, but strode off in the direction of the dungeons all the same. He put some length in his steps and felt a twinge of satisfaction as a group of second years saw him coming and scurried off to the side of the hallway to let him pass.

"Why hello there," purred a familiar voice in his ear after he passed the Great Hall.

"Pansy," Draco replied curtly. He slowed his pace so that she match him.

"I've just heard the most hideous rumor about you, Draco," she said with a grin. "Daphne is having kittens about it."

Draco valiantly fought the urge to roll his eyes and failed. If Pansy and her gaggle ever got one of their 'hideous rumors' correct, he would eat his cloak.

"What am I supposed to have done now?" he asked.

"It involves you and a certain _freckled_ enemy."

Pansy wouldn't know the meaning of the word discretion if it smacked her in the face. Draco sighed.

"Let me guess, I'm snogging the Weasel's sister?"

Her face fell. "How'd you know?"

Draco recounted a sanitized version of what had transpired in the library earlier that week. Pansy looked somewhat incredulous.

"You tripped? _You_, Draco Malfoy?" Her dark eyes sparkled with what Draco could only identify as friendly malice. For a moment, he had forgotten who he was talking with.

"Oh, all right," he said. "She tackled me."

Once upon a time, Pansy would have been both horrified and outraged. She would have swooped in to check him for wounds, and then swooped off to curse the Weaslette within an inch of her life. She would have used the incident in any way she could to prove her loyalty to him and her adoration of him.

Now, she simply laughed. Loudly.

"Bugger off," Draco huffed. He picked up the pace.

Pansy dogged his heels. "So serious, Draco," she said. She pushed her lips out in an exaggerated pout. Draco felt the color rising in his cheeks. "Surely it isn't that red-headed bimbo that's got our glorious Head Boy so worked up?"

"Red hair?" said a new voice, much deeper than Pansy's. Blaise Zabini melted out of the shadows of the hallway to join them. "Her hair's hardly red. Bimbo seems accurate though. But I hoped he'd have let her go by now."

"Dementor try-outs are next month, I think," Pansy told Blaise with a smirk. "And if you're not talking about his rather unfortunate run-in with a weasel, just who are you talking about?"

"Weasel?" Blaise sneered.

"I am right here, you know," Draco said. Somehow he had resisted the urge to sprint in the opposite direction while they talked over him. "But if you'd rather discuss my life without me, feel free. I've got to see Professor Snape." He indicated the book he carried.

Blaise, excellent friend that he was, heard the dismissal and nodded. "We'll see you in the Great Hall later," he said.

"Oh, come on now," Pansy whined. She grabbed them both before they could diverge. "Let's all go see Snape."

"At least call him 'Professor'." Draco grimaced.

"Not all of us can call him Severus," Pansy shot back.

Blaise raised his eyebrows. "Why do you really want to go down there, Parkinson?" he said. Draco recognized his resigned tone, and took a second look at Pansy's face. A brand of malicious mischief unique to Slytherins sparkled in her dark eyes. He tilted his head in interest.

"I would just hate to deprive you both of my charming company," Pansy said, batting her eyelashes.

Draco and Blaise shared an amused look.

"Indeed," Blaise said.

"Which professor's wrath are we avoiding now?" Draco added.

Instead of answering, Pansy smiled.

They were nearly to the dungeons when a crimson-faced Ron Weasley flew up the stairs, his usual posse behind him. Potter and Granger were nearly as red as their companion. All three skidded to a halt in front of the Slytherins.

"Bitch!" Weasley yelped. His wand was out the instant he saw Pansy.

Angry though they were, his friends kept their wits about them. Potter grabbed the back of Weasley's robes as Granger tackled his wand arm. Draco crossed his own arms and watched the spectacle with a grin. No need for wands here.

"Ten point from Gryffindor for the expletive, I think," he mused out loud.

Blaise sniggered appreciatively. "Never thought I'd see the day," he remarked to the others. "A Weasel done up as a Slytherin harlot."

Weasley's robes flashed in a shimmering pattern of green and silver scales. From the bunched up fabric he had tucked under his off-wand arm it looked like the rest of his school robes had been enchanted with the same spell.

"Glad to see you finally understand who rules the school," Draco said. "I knew even a blood traitor couldn't ignore it forever."

"Shut it, Malfoy," Potter grated before Weasley could choke his own reply out. Smart.

Pansy mimicked Potter's words in a sing-song tone. "Shut it. Shut it. Is that all you Gryffindors know how to do? You're supposed to be soooo brave. How about some action to back up those words?" She twirled her wand between her fingers. Beside her, Blaise drew his wand as well.

Draco glanced at Granger, still holding gamely on to Weasley's arm. Her Head Girl pin gleamed on her lapel. She returned Draco's stare with cold intensity. She didn't have to say anything though; he knew what she was thinking. What kind of Head Boy let other students make blatant threats with magic?

He gave Granger the same grin he'd used on Madam Pince as he drew his own wand.

"Come on then," he goaded. "Weasley there can be our cheerleader."

Weasley let out an incoherent howl, and Potter was forced to throw his full weight into holding him back. Draco and Pansy quaked with laughter, Blaise looking on with a dark grin.

"I'll be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this!" Granger said with a distinctly McGonagall-like sniff.

"That's right, Granger," Pansy taunted. "Run to the headmaster like the little girl you are. At least Draco has the guts to stand up for his House!"

Granger shook her head. "Let's go, Harry," she muttered. "We should get Ron out of here before any of us does something we'll regret."

Potter's mouth twitched, but he nodded. The two of them dragged Weasley around the Slytherins as the redhead expelled several more obscenities.

"That's twenty points down, Weasley!" Draco called after them. He stowed his wand with a chuckle.

"Excellent spell," Blaise congratulated Pansy once the Gryffindors had gone.

"Oh, Theo did it," Pansy said, giggling. "You know how brilliant he is. I'll bet it will take ages for Flitwick and McGonagall to sort it out."

"Brilliant, is he?" Draco said slyly. Blaise winked.

But Pansy refused to be embarrassed. "You know he is," she said simply. "Now, can we all agree on our plan for tonight? We've got the upper hand. Let's not lose it."

Draco's thoughts drifted as Pansy and Blaise got down to the business of crashing Gryffindor tower. He had his own plans tonight, and they did not involve abusing Potter's friends, as amusing as that was. He still wasn't exactly sure how to lure Parvati away from the party, but he knew this would be his best chance to see her alone.

"For Merlin's sake. He's doing it again."

"Not to worry, Parkinson. Not to worry. I've got the perfect distraction for him tonight…"


	5. Act I, Scene 4: Dark Heaven

**Scene 4**

"**At my poor house, look to behold this night Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light."**

"How's it looking then?"

Ginny didn't bother to disguise her awe as she looked around the common room.

"It's brilliant, Ron," she breathed. "How did you pull this off?"

Ron shrugged, but gave her a pleased smile. "I had some help," he admitted.

She noted Dean Thomas' handiwork on the lion banners draped from the rafters and saw Neville Longbottom's touch with the Flitterblooms set about on windowsills. But it must have been Ron who'd gotten the Hogwarts house elves to rustle up the glorious spread covering a long trestle table in the center of the room. And she knew he'd been the one to procure the illicit casks of Firewhiskey currently sitting in a row beneath that table.

"Mum'll send you a million Howlers for this," she said with admiration.

"If she ever finds out," Ron said. He looked uncomfortable. Ginny slipped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him.

"Don't worry, big brother," she said fondly. "No one will ever tell." She looked around again and whistled. "This is going to be the party of the year."

"And we haven't even won the House Cup yet!" Harry laughed as he came down the stairs. He clapped Ron on the shoulder, but barely glanced at Ginny. "Good job, mate, the place looks great."

"Has Hermione seen it yet?" Ron asked, nerves evident in the way his voice broke.

"She's still conferencing with McGonagall," Harry said darkly.

Ginny watched her brother and his best friend share a meaningful look and decided she didn't want to know why Hermione needed to talk to their Head of House. Ron had already been in trouble for fighting on their first night back. If she knew him at all, it would be a pattern all year, and she only had so many lectures in her. He and Harry could make their own stupid decisions.

Soon the room was filled with Gryffindors exclaiming over the decorations and descending on the snacks. Ron opened the first cask to cheering. Someone put on the wireless and Ginny found herself scrambling to get out of the way of the dancing that followed. She found a spot by the fireplace and watched Harry try to fend off a pair of enthusiastic fifth year girls. Despite what Hermione had told her days ago, she hadn't seen much evidence of Harry fancying her. In fact, he seemed to be ignoring her more than ever. She still couldn't decide if she was upset about it or not.

"Want a drink?"

Ginny glanced at the cup Colin Creevey was holding out for her.

"Firewhiskey?" she asked, and then shook her head as he nodded.

"More for me, I guess," he said and took a gulp. Ginny laughed at the twisting of his mouth as he swallowed.

"Bit strong, is it?" She grinned at him as he swatted her arm.

"I don't have your brother's constitution," he replied when he'd regained his ability to breathe. He pointed and Ginny saw Ron, his shirt off, dancing on a table.

"Godric help him," she murmured. She glanced at Colin and the two dissolved into giggles. When they'd calmed down, Colin nudged her.

"How come you're over here in the corner?" He gave her a serious look over the rim of his glass as he attempted another sip.

Ginny smiled and shook her head. "More fun to observe sometimes," she said. They both watched as Harry saved Ron from a fall on his arse with a well-timed Levitation Charm.

Colin nodded, but Ginny didn't like the glint she saw in his eye. "What?" she prompted.

"You're not dating Michael anymore, right?" he said. "Or Dean?"

Startled, Ginny tried to cover by grabbing Colin's glass. "Let me try that," she said. The swig made her eyes water. A fiery snake wended its way down her throat to nestle in her belly. Colin raised his eyebrows at her. She coughed and gave him the glass back.

"No," she said. "I'm not dating those prats anymore."

Colin swirled the Firewhiskey. "You know Harry and Cho broke up over the summer, right?"

"Don't you have some pictures to take or something?" Ginny muttered.

Colin grinned. "Now's the time for courage, Gin," he said. "It's the right atmosphere for it at any rate." He indicated Dean's banners with their Gryffindor lions pacing and roaring above the party. "You know, I think he really does like you."

"How can you tell?" Ginny sighed. "You and Hermione are confusing me. I was over him until the two of you opened your big mouths."

Colin was distracted from saying anything further by Ron's appearance. Ginny's brother threw an arm around each of them and pulled them close.

"Listen," he said in a stage whisper loud enough that Ginny winced and covered the ear closest to him. "I'm happy for you two. I really am." He turned to Ginny. "But you're making a mistake, little sis! Someone else fancies you, someone much better than Colin. No offense, Creevey."

Colin was trying hard to stifle his laughter. "None taken," he managed.

"Know…" Ron burped and cleared his throat. "Do you know who I'm talking about, Gin?"

Ginny's face was burning from more than the Firewhiskey. She pushed her brother's arm off her shoulders. "You smell like a distillery, Ron," she snapped.

"Well, yeah," he said, somewhat confused. "Party of the year, right?"

"Right." Ginny rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Colin. I'm going to find Luna, okay?"

Colin winked at her and wrapped an arm around Ron's shoulders in turn. "Hey, Ron, did I ever tell you about the time me and Dennis went to London and rode the Tube…?"

Flashing him a grateful look, Ginny slipped away.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I look ridiculous," Draco muttered. He couldn't see himself in the candlelit hallway, but he knew he looked ridiculous all the same.

Pansy pressed into his side as they walked. "Don't be such a diva, Draco. You look gorgeous. Who knew you'd make a decent brunette?"

Blaise shushed them. "We're almost there," he said. He gave Draco a sympathetic look. "And at least she didn't make it red, eh?"

"Merlin forbid," Draco replied with a dark look. He would've hexed Pansy within an inch of her life had that been the result of her Colovaria charm.

The three sidled up to the enormous portrait of a fat woman wearing a garish shade of pink. Speaking of something that need the color change charm…

A welcome rush of adrenaline shot through Draco's veins as they stood before the Gryffindor common room. On the other side of that painting was a night of hilarity, vengeance, and… hopefully Parvati Patil.

"Ready?" Draco asked the others. They nodded. He gestured at Pansy. "Go on then."

Pansy, her hair now unnaturally long and silky blonde, stepped up to the portrait. The fat lady sighed.

"Not another inter-house partygoer. Can't stuff many more in that room…" The portrait rolled her eyes and then boomed out, "Password?"

Draco and Blaise exchanged intrigued looks. Inter-house? The Gryffindors were stepping up their game if they were wooing the other houses to their side.

"Abstinence," Pansy said in a low voice.

"Absinthe?" The fat lady within the frame peered at Pansy with concern. "Heavens, no, child! Vile stuff. I much prefer a nice Pinot Noir, one with those deep, jammy notes…"

"_Abstinence_," Draco hissed from behind her. "She said _abstinence_."

"Oh right! Yes." The daft portrait swung open to permit them entrance.

"What prats," Draco muttered. "They couldn't come up with a better password?"

"They're only Gryffindors," Blaise said with a shrug. "What did you expect?"

"Probably thought they were being clever," Pansy added.

Draco motioned her to silence as they climbed through the portrait hole into the common room. No one seemed to notice their arrival, but Draco couldn't exactly blame them. Music was blasting, people were dancing, and the smell of Firewhiskey was almost tangible.

Draco glanced at his companions. Pansy looked impressed. Blaise was ticking something off on his fingers.

"Seven casks," he told Draco after a moment. "They don't exactly mess around, do they?"

Draco fought down a rush of bile. "Get your heads straight," he snapped. "They're bloody Gryffindors. We're not here for the punch."

Pansy had the grace to look admonished. She nodded and strode off into the crowd. Blaise meanwhile grabbed Draco's arm before he could likewise disappear.

"You too, Malfoy," he said in Draco's ear. "Don't do anything stupid. We're here to wreak only one kind of havoc, right?"

Draco jerked out of his hold. "Don't presume," he said. But of course he couldn't deny that he had already swept his gaze over the room in search of Parvati. Blaise heaved a long-suffering sigh.

"I didn't want it to come to this, but…Pansy's got a bet going on you."

"What!" Draco narrowed his eyes. "Tell me."

Blaise shrugged. "She made a bet with Theo just before we came down here that you'd end up snogging some girl in a corner all night and never actually carry through with our plan."

A pair of dancers nearby jumped at Draco's outraged cry. He turned toward the wall to gather himself before turning back to Blaise.

"Weasley was right about that girl," he muttered. "She is a bitch."

Blaise gave him a sardonic grin. "Of course she is, mate. She's a Slytherin. And your ex-girlfriend to boot. Trying to take money from Theo is probably her way of flirting with him."

"At my expense," Draco said.

"Well, don't let her be right."

Draco grimaced. Of course he wanted to show Pansy up. But he also didn't want to let Parvati go until he'd satisfied his curiosity.

"I've got a new bet," he announced. "And a better plan."

Blaise inclined his head.

"Find Parkinson and tell her to forget the previous plan. Instead, the one with the most Gryffindor mementos by the end of the night wins. The more _personal _the memento the better. And tomorrow we'll put them all on display in the Great Hall."

Blaise cracked another grin."You're on, Malfoy."

He rushed off to find Pansy and left Draco to his own devices. He smoothed his hair from his face and surveyed the room. A glimpse of raven hair was all he needed…


End file.
